Pancreatic cancer
Treatment studies at every stage, help with symptoms, and research into finding the disease sooner.
Read about Pancreatic cancerStudy area
Pulmonary fibrosis
In pulmonary fibrosis the lung tissue thickens and stiffens over time, and research is trying to slow that change and ease what it does to breathing.
About Pulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is a group of conditions in which scar tissue builds up between the air sacs, so oxygen passes into the blood less easily. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, where no cause is found, is the best known. Fibrosis can also come with rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, past exposures at work or certain medicines.
Medicines that slow the scarring are already in use, and many studies test newer ones, either alone or added to what a person already takes. Others look at the persistent cough, at rehabilitation and exercise, and at how oxygen is used at home.
Research in this area
Kinds of study you will come across
Most studies in this area fall into one of these groups. A listing usually says which one in its first lines.
01
New anti-scarring medicines
Test whether a new drug slows the fall in lung function compared with placebo or usual care.
02
Added to current treatment
Add a study medicine on top of an anti-scarring drug a person already takes.
03
Cough and breathlessness
Look at medicines or techniques aimed at the symptoms rather than the scarring.
04
Rehabilitation and oxygen
Compare exercise programs, breathing training or ways of using oxygen.
Be ready
Before your first call
What studies in this area often involve, and what a study team is likely to ask you for.
What visits tend to involve
- Breathing tests that measure how much air you move and how well oxygen crosses into the blood
- A timed walk, with oxygen levels checked as you go
- A high-resolution CT scan of the chest at the start, and sometimes later
- Blood tests and a check of heart rhythm
- Questionnaires about cough, breathlessness and daily activity
Have these to hand
- The name of your diagnosis as your lung specialist wrote it
- Recent breathing test results, if you have copies
- The medicines you take for your lungs, including any oxygen
- Whether you have smoked, and when you stopped
Your questions
Questions to ask the study team
Write them down before you call. A good team expects them, and the answers help you decide.
- Will I keep taking my current lung medicine during the study?
- Is there a placebo, and what happens at the end if I was on it?
- How long are the visits, and can I rest during the breathing tests?
- Does the study help with travel if I use oxygen?
Study areas
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Getting movement, speech and strength back in the months and years after a stroke.
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